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Upon further review, New Jersey Devils forward Bobby Holik called it "so un-hockey" and worse.

But Jason Blake's circus shootout goal that gave the Maple Leafs a 3-2 shootout victory Tuesday night at the Air Canada Centre falls both within the spirit and the letter of the NHL rulebook.

In fact, it was for plays like Blake's that the NHL added the unlikely term "spin-o-rama" to the book following the first season of the shootout in 2005-06.

And after Blake's dramatic goal in which he stopped in front of Devils goaltender Scott Clemmensen before wheeling around to slip the puck past him, NHL director of officiating Stephen Walkom has a great video tool to illustrate the rule.

"Obviously players are frustrated when they lose, but if it's a move any player can make on a breakaway then it's considered a good hockey move," Walkom said yesterday. "If it's a play we would allow on a breakaway, why wouldn't we allow it on a shootout. That's the spirit the general managers gave us as a guideline.

"The question is on a good hockey goal, on a good breakaway, could this happen? The answer is yes."

Though somewhat tepid in their protest after Tuesday's game, the Devils changed their tune considerably yesterday after taking a closer look. Coach Brent Sutter said it was a close call that "looked worse in the video." Holik, however, went much further.

"I know it's legal, but it's so un-hockey," Holik told the Newark Star-Ledger. "I think it's B.S. I know the league loves it because it's exciting, but the puck should always be moving forward.

"What, next time they'll let him circle the net?"

Holik didn't stop there, suggesting the Leafs were taking liberties because of their status as a rebuilding club.

"It's easier to do on a team that has nothing to lose than on a contender," Holik said. "I know (Leafs president) Brian Burke won't like that statement, but ..."

As for the idea of circling the net, the rules are clear. Once that puck crosses the goal-line, be it in net or behind, it is considered a dead play.

With Blake's goal destined to be among the highlights of the week, if not the year, it begs another question: What if little Johnny wants to give the move a go should he be awarded a penalty shot in his peewee game this weekend?

"We follow the same thing as the NHL," said Todd Anderson, Hockey Canada's manager of officiating. "It's a skill, that's why the NHL didn't take it away. It's a play that promotes the skill in our game. If people are talking about it in a good way, (the rule) did its job."